{"id":25763,"date":"2024-05-10T02:43:43","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T09:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/ontario-law-aims-to-improve-conditions-for-women-on-jobsites\/"},"modified":"2024-05-10T02:43:45","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T09:43:45","slug":"ontario-law-aims-to-improve-conditions-for-women-on-jobsites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/ontario-law-aims-to-improve-conditions-for-women-on-jobsites\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario law aims to improve conditions for women on jobsites"},"content":{"rendered":"\"-\"<\/a>\n
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The Ontario government is introducing the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0building on its previous four Working for Workers <\/em>acts. The act contains a suite of measures to support workers, including requiring that menstrual products be provided on larger construction sites and mandating that washrooms are clean and sanitary. The legislation, the first of its kind in Canada, aims to make the skilled trades more accessible to women and support women at work.<\/p>\n

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\u201cUnder Premier Ford, our government is tackling the generational labour shortage previous governments left in their wake. That means we need all hands on deck \u2013 but when women represent only one in ten workers in the skilled trades, we have one hand tied behind our back,\u201d said David Piccini, minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development. \u201cThat\u2019s why our government is introducing first-in-Canada changes to encourage women to start a career in the skilled trades and reach their full potential. Because an economy that doesn\u2019t work for women, doesn\u2019t work at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time in Canada, the Ontario government will make regulatory changes to the province\u2019s Occupational Health and Safety Act <\/em>to require menstrual products be provided on larger construction sites. The government will also propose legislative and regulatory changes to require employers at both construction sites and other workplaces to require that washrooms are kept clean and sanitary\u00a0and maintain records of washroom cleaning.<\/p>\n

Ontario\u2019s proposed amendments would add virtual harassment to the definitions of workplace harassment and workplace sexual harassment in the Occupational Health and Safety Act<\/em>, ensuring that workplace policies to address harassment in the workplace also cover online harassment.<\/p>\n

The government will also engage with survivors of harassment, legal experts and other stakeholders to identify the most effective legislative or regulatory means to create a duty to act for employers where investigations have identified workplace harassment has occurred.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s announcement is another example of action our government is taking to make careers in construction and the skilled trades more inclusive and welcoming for women,\u201d said Charmaine Williams, associate minister of women\u2019s social and economic opportunity. \u201cBy further protecting their health and safety at work, the Working for Workers bill will increase women\u2019s access to rewarding careers that both pay well and help create the stronger, more diverse workforce we need to build a better Ontario.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional measures to address safety in construction will include a comprehensive review of critical injuries and fatalities in the construction sector and a consultation on expanding the types of life-saving equipment, such as defibrillators, to be provided on construction projects.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n